Softscars

by yeule

Overview

Nat Cmiel's music has gradually evolved from ethereal ambient pop to more abrasive and dystopian glitch-pop with uncomfortably vulnerable lyrics examining mental health issues. On softscars, the artist's third album as yeule, they dive into shoegaze, grunge, and punk influences, creating heavier, more cathartic music in an attempt to bridge their artistic persona with their real-life identity. Opener "x w x" is a jarring re-introduction to the artist, mixing noisy guitars and unhinged screaming with gentle strings and nearly bubblegummy pop hooks, sounding like a mess of contradictions on paper but absolutely nailing its execution. The softly swaying dream pop tune "sulky baby" finds yeule continuing to express dissatisfaction with their body, while distorted guitars smolder without becoming fully engulfed in flames. A good portion of the album incorporates well-timed glitches into chiming alt-rock hooks, made all the more disorienting by lyrics about bodily harm and self-disgust. While there's a lot of disturbing imagery and challenging sonics in these songs, there's still gleeful and innocent elements to them, like the skipping cadences of "ghosts," or the affectionate sentiments of "software update" and "aphex twin flame." Yet even these are qualified or compromised -- "software update" describes feeling trapped in someone's phone, as yeule responds to an "I love you" with "you said that like you were programmed to." The pumping ambient house beats of "inferno" propel a rush of memories about a wilted relationship, with yeule still willing to do anything for their ex. If "bloodbunny" was a film, it would be best described as a gross-out romance, and that icky playfulness carries into the feverish electro-punk of "cyber meat." While it's not always as easy to listen to as yeule's previous recordings, softscars contains some of their strongest songwriting and most daring sound design, and feels like the most honest expression of their vision to date. ~ Paul Simpson

Product Details

Release Date:	10/06/2023
Label:	Ninja Tune
UPC:	5054429174250
Rank:	34417

Tracks

1. x w x
2. sulky baby
3. softscars
4. 4ui12
5. ghosts
6. dazies
7. fish in the pool
8. software update
9. inferno
10. bloodbunny
11. cyber meat
12. aphex twin flame